Darkshines
by NovaBelle
Summary: After a brutal beating from her stepfather Bella escapes to Forks to live with her dad. Depressed and alone she doesn't think she can cope until she meets Edward
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters and idea behind twilight all belong to Stephanie Meyer**

**Note: I'm new to the whole fanfic writing business so if you review, please don't be too harsh**

His hand connected with my face with such force that it sent me flying backwards onto my desk. An unbelievable streak of pain shot through my back as I folded over the desk and landed, with a thump, face first on the floor. Before I could even make sense of my position on the floor and move he grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up. Another blow from his free hand hit me in the ribs. I let out an involuntary cry of pain and in return I felt the back of his hand smack against my mouth. Blood welled up inside my mouth and from my nose. "Bitch!" he said in a quiet yet forceful tone. "I told you to keep quiet. Not that screaming would do you any good. You're nothing but a worthless, good for nothi-" His words were cut short by the sound of a car on our drive. He released his hold on me and I sank to the floor. "Clean yourself up before your mother sees," and walks out of my room.

I picked myself up off the floor, wincing at how much pain this caused me. I walked over to the mirror that hung by my bed to inspect the damage. Blood flowed freely from my nose, my cheek was already beginning to swell and it looked like a black eye was forming. I didn't bother to inspect the rest of my body. Taking Phil's advice I went to the bathroom to clean my face, not that it would do much good. I walked into my room and closed the door firmly behind me. Sinking to my knees with my back against the door I wrapped my arms round myself and started to sob silently.

I don't know how long I was there for before I suddenly realised I had no tears left in me. I took a few tried and breathing deeply and when I was sure I was in control of my emotions again I let myself think.

This had gone too far. At first it had been a slap here and a bruise there but now it had developed into full beatings. My mother didn't understand or didn't believe what was going on, I wasn't sure which. I hoped with all my heart that it was the former. I didn't think that I could handle it if she didn't believe that he would hit me. I prayed that she was just in denial, that way I didn't have to blame her.

My back throbbed and I knew that the damage was more serious this time. This couldn't go on any longer and there were very few options available to me. I ran through them in my head, agonising over which course of action I should take. I don't know why it took me so long to come to this conclusion. In all honesty I should have left the first time he hit me. And it was this thought that propelled me. I would get the hell out of here and go see my dad.

As soon as the decision was made I sprang into action with as much effort as I could manage without making the pain worse. I opened my bedroom door and stuck my head out, listening and looking for signs of Renee and Phil. I could hear them both downstairs laughing. I snuck out into the hall and got my suitcase from the cupboard and quickly ran back into my room with it, immediately filling it with the essential items I would need like my jumpers and parka. It only occurred to me after I had everything I would need packed that Charlie would very obviously be surprised to see me on his doorstep. I never go to Forks anymore and barely see him throughout the year. We talk on the phone sometimes but those conversations are awkward and short-lived. I wrestled with the idea of calling him to ask or simply warn about my arrival but decided against it. I didn't want him calling my mum to ask why I suddenly felt the need to live in a place I hated. But most of all I couldn't handle the idea that he might reject me and not want me staying with him. A sensible part of my brain told me this fear was irrational – that he is my father and would love to have me living with him, however, the rejection from loved ones was something I was getting a lot of round here and it seemed too much to hope that it wouldn't extend as far as Forks. Hopefully my dad wouldn't be able to turn me away if I was already on his doorstep.

I went to the bathroom to do a final sweep to make sure I had all the toiletries I needed when something caught my eye. It was my mother's make-up bag. I had never really bothered with make-up before but as I looked at the now clear bruises on my face I decided that now was as good a time as any to start. The only problem was that my mother's skin was many shades more tan than mine. Her foundation, and my biggest chance of hiding the bruises, would be too dark for me. Instead I settled for just using the concealer to hide as much as I could. It didn't help much.

Then a new problem occurred to me. How was I going to get the suitcase down the stairs and out the door without my mum and stepdad noticing? I'd never exactly been a master at stealth. I could either try my luck or wait till night. Despite my track record I decided to try my luck; I couldn't stand the idea of staying here even a second longer than I had to now that I was set on leaving.

I crept down the stairs as quietly as was physically possible to check on what my parents were doing. My mum was on the sofa watching her favourite soap opera so I wouldn't have to worry about her. I looked round for Phil. He was in the kitchen, pouring himself a beer as he flicked through the sports channels on the second tv screen. Now was my chance. I ran upstairs grabbed my suitcase and all the money I had saved up over the past few months and made my escape ignoring the painful protests of my body.

I couldn't believe it when I was able to leave the house without them catching sight of me but still felt the need to run the first few blocks. I reached the main stretch of road and hailed down the first taxi that passed me. I practically flung myself and my suitcase inside the taxi earning me a surprised look from the driver. This look instantly turned to shock as he took in the state of my face. "Airport please," I said, amazed that I could still manage words at this point. I refused to look behind me as the cab sped off and felt myself relaxing the farther from the house I got. The downside to this was that I finally started to properly notice the blinding pain in my back, side and arm. Well, my injuries would have to wait. Right now I my only focus was Forks.

When we reached the airport I paid the driver and apologised for not being able to give him a tip. He just gave me a sad smile. I bought a ticket for the first flight to Washington available. A few hours later and I was getting my connection to Port Angeles. By the time I arrived in Port Angeles it was 2 o'clock in the morning. Not exactly wanting to drop in on Charlie in such early hours of the morning I opted for a bench in the bus station. Usually this is where Charlie would come pick me up and drive me to his house during my previous visit this depressing town. I fought back tears as a wave of nostalgia hit me before falling into an uneasy sleep.

I only got a couple of hours sleep but it was enough to keep me going. It was almost 5.30am and I decided that this wasn't too early a time to seek out my father, after all as the chief of police he would already be up by now. The taxi to Forks took just over an hour and I felt my stomach turn over as it pulled over next to my dad's house. The cruiser was still parked out the front meaning he hadn't left for work yet. I didn't know whether to feel glad or more worried about this.

I took a deep breath to steady much self and walked up to the front door wheeling my suitcase behind me. After a few hesitant seconds I knocked.

When Charlie answered I studied all the different emotions that passed across his face. First was complete and utter puzzlement which seemed to turn to joy as he realised who I was, but this was almost instantly replaced by horror at the sight of my appearance. "Bella?"

"Hi, dad" was simply all I said to him.

It took him a minute to reaffirm himself with reality but when he did he pulled me into a tight hug – which I immediately pulled out of, wincing at the physical pain his action caused. He gave me another once over, obviously concerned. "Bella what happened to you?"

So what do you think? Hopefully I will get to update soon but all depends on how much free time I have over the coming weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all I want to apologise for how long it's taken me to upload this. I've had exams so didn't have much time to write and then my laptop broke and had to be sent away to get fixed. So, yeah, really sorry. **

**Next I just want to thank everyone who reviewed the story. All comments were much appreciated.**

**Lastly, feel free to keep commenting and reviewing. I welcome any constructive criticism you have.**

I opened my mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out. I couldn't tell him. "Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" I asked instead, surprised at just how shaky my voice was. Without a second thought Charlie led me into his house. I had been years since I last set foot in this house but nothing had changed. He took my suitcase off me and sat it in the hall.

"Bella, you need to tell me what happened. How did you get those bruises? Who hurt you? Has Renée seen you like this? Does she know you're here?" His questions poured out in quick succession.

"No, Renée hasn't seen me like this and no, she doesn't know I'm here" I answered, very obviously avoiding the first two questions. Charlie looked at me for a second and seemed to realise that I wasn't going to answer the first two.

"Let me call the station to let them know that I'm going to be late in and then I'll drive you to the hospital." I simply nodded.

Forty minutes later I was sitting on a bed waiting for the doctor. Rather than having to wait for ages to be seen to I was led to a room straight away ahead of everyone else and without a load of fuss. For once I appreciated being the Chief's daughter. Charlie stood protectively at my side as we waited for the doctor. We weren't left waiting long.

I let out a gasp when the doctor entered the room. He was the most beautiful person I had ever seen and looked way too young to be a doctor. He nodded once to Charlie; a silent recognition of each others' status. "Hi, Bella. I'm Dr Cullen. I'm just going to give you a quick exam to determine whether we'll need an x-ray to determine the full extent of you injuries." He smiled kindly at me. His voice was so smooth and relaxing and his smile so warm that you couldn't help but relax your guard a little. "So, first of all, why don't you tell me where the pain is?"

I shot a quick nervous glance over at Charlie. The last thing I wanted to do was to let him know exactly how much pain I was in.

Dr Cullen caught my look. Why don't you wait outside while I do the exam, Charlie?" Charlie opened his mouth to protest.

"Please dad," I said to him before he could start. He looked me straight in the eye, trying to determine whether or not he should really leave me alone. "Please," I pleaded again. He gave in and walked out without a word. Maybe I had hurt his feelings. Or maybe he had realised that this was worse than it looked and that I didn't want him to know the full extent of my injuries.

I turned back to the doctor. "So where does it hurt?" he asked me again, with a reassuring smile. I stole a glance at his eyes. They were extraordinary. I had never seen anyone with gold eyes before or eyes that seemed to have such a depth to them. I tore my eyes away as he met my gaze. Feeling a little light headed I lifted my shirt to show the dark, heavy expanse of bruising that stretched across my right side and lower back. I kept my eyes focused on the door and away from his eyes as he reached out to gently run his hands over the bruising. Even though he was barely touching me, I couldn't help but wince. He moved his hands to inspect my lower back. I tried to focus on my breathing rather than the pain. Then it was over. He pulled his hands away and stood upright again.

"Anywhere else?" I shook my head. "Okay, well I think you have at least two broken ribs. Well have to get an X-ray to see if there are any others. You also have some bruising to some of your muscles. It's painful but not serious. I'll prescribe you something for the pain." He gave me another smile and went on to note something down on my chart. Not a single question as to how I got them. I liked this doctor.

The X-ray didn't take long and confirmed what Dr Cullen had said – two broken ribs. Luckily there were no more. I was sent home with a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and some strong pain meds just has the doctor had promised.

The ride back to the house with Charlie was awkward. "I'll have to call your Renée when we get home, you know, to let her know you're here." I simply nodded. I didn't want to talk about Renée. I could only imagine just how much she'd be worrying over the fact that I was missing. I mean, running away from home is not the sort of thing people expect from a girl like me. But that wasn't the main reason for my unease. I felt like I was abandoning her. I've looked after her ever since I was old enough to look after myself. Considering my current state though, my ability to look after myself could be called into question.

The rain pounded on the car windows. The rain. One of many things I hated about this place. One of many things I would have to learn to get used to.

Charlie brought me out of my thoughts with the mention of another thing I'd been dreading. "I suppose I should enrol you at Forks High School if you're going to be staying here."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"I'll sort it out tomorrow then."

We pulled into the driveway and walked side by side into the house. "Well I'll go call your mother. Are you hungry? I could order in pizza? I don't have much in I'm afraid."

"Pizza sounds fine. I'll be upstairs." I didn't want to be down here while he spoke to Renée. I couldn't bring myself to speak to her yet.

I went to my bedroom. Of course it was the same as it had ever been. I sat down on the bed and looked out the window. The only thing to see was the rain and the trees. Once upon a time I had called this place Hell. I refused to let myself cry over my self-imposed exile. I chose this. And at least this Hell didn't involve punches.

**Sorry it's not very long. I promise to make it longer next time. And I promise to upload as quickly as I can.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, just want to say thanks to everyone who said how much they love this fic.**

**And for those of you who were wondering, yes the Cullens are vampires.**

I stared at myself in the mirror. In my jeans and v neck jumper, and with my hair falling loose around my face, I looked utterly plain. A good thing; I didn't want to stand out. Today would be my first day at Forks High School. Unfortunately it's a place where I could but only stand out what with its miniscule number of students who have all grown up with each other and whose grandparents know everyone's grandparents. I'm the new girl, the oddity, the freak. I wouldn't be able to sink into the background if I tried.

I stared into my own face. The bruises had luckily mostly faded from my face over the past few days. Only some brown-yellow marks were left that were easily hid with my hair down. I just needed to remember not to tuck it behind my ears. I didn't want stories starting on my first day. Then I realised that they already had stories. In the week that id been here people will have talked about the sudden surprise arrival of the Chief of police's daughter. And no doubt the nurses from the hospital who lived in this depressing little town had spread the rumours of my bruises. It seemed that I wouldn't be able to avoid being the subject of the town gossip.

I moved back into my room and grabbed my bag and raincoat. The room was a bit more homely now that I had unpacked. Packing the bare essentials to come here had been easy. I didn't have much clothing suited to the weather here in Forks. I had managed to pack everything that was suitable and a few personal items that I couldn't bear to leave behind- a few photos of me with my mother and my friends from back home, a small music box that had been a present from Renée on my 8th birthday, my laptop and cell and an assortment of books. I hadn't turned my cell on since I arrived here. No doubt it had a million and one messages from Renée but I couldn't bring myself to listen to them. Not yet, anyway.

I walked downstairs and headed for the kitchen, intending to make myself breakfast but was stopped by Charlie in the hall. "Come with me, I have something to show you." I followed him outside. In the drive sat an old beat up truck. Charlie went over and leaned against its side. "Well, what do you think? I thought it would do for getting you around. To and from school, you know. Don't think it would get you much further than that though. It's not got the best gas mileage."

I stood completely awestruck. Earlier in the week we had had an argument over how I would get to school. He was determined to drive me and I was determined that I wouldn't be driven to school in the cruiser. I would rather walk through the cold and wet. I didn't have the money to buy my own car. The little money I had saved was spent on the plane getting here. And so Charlie had bought me one. I couldn't quite believe it. "It's perfect. Thanks dad." I couldn't help but smile at him; my first true smile since I came to Forks.

"Yeah, well I bought it off Billy Black. You remember him?" I shook my head. I had made an effort over the years to forget as much as Forks as was possible. "Well his son Jacob rebuilt the engine so it runs just fine. He's just a couple of years younger than you. I need to go to work now but good luck for today."

"Thanks," I said again. He gave me an awkward nod. Even under normal circumstances my father and I had never been good at sharing our emotions with each other. He turned towards the cruiser and I turned back into the house. I didn't really know what to do with my time now. I had gotten up early in preparation for the long walk but that was no longer necessary. I went back to my room and grabbed the first book I could find – Pride and Prejudice. Hmm, maybe reading wasn't the best idea. I tended to lose myself in books. I'd probably end up late. I guess if I went to school early it would give me a chance to find my first class so that I actually arrived on time and didn't look to much the fool. Plus I didn't know how easy it would be to get a parking space.

I went to the truck. Charlie had left the keys in the ignition for me. I wondered how early he must have got up to go get this. I turned they keys and almost jumped out of my skin as the truck roared into life. I'd never heard a thing so loud. Just another thing to get me noticed. I reversed out the drive and headed towards the school.

The drive was not long. I turned the car into the school's main driveway and parked in front of the office. This parking lot was almost empty and obviously not meant for students but I could always move it. The school was the complete opposite of my school back home. In Phoenix my school was once huge building with its own running track and football field; Forks high was more an assortment of small old buildings. I walked into the office and stood at the desk waiting for the school secretary to finish the call she was on. She hung up the phone and turned to me. "What can I do for you dear?"

"I'm Isabella Swan. I was told to come here to pick up my timetable."

The secretary's eyes lit up. Here was the girl everyone was talking about. I stared at the desk instead of her face. She rummaged through a pile of papers on the desk and pulled a few out.

"Yes, here it is here. And here's a map of the school for you to help you get around and you here' is an attendance form you need to get all your teachers to sign. Any questions, dear?"

"No, thanks," I said and turned on my heels and headed back to my truck. When I was sitting back in the cab I scanned over the map trying to memorise as much as possible. I headed to the student car pack and parked as close to the buildings as I could so that it would be easier for me to make a clean getaway at the end of the day. I looked at the timetable. My first class was History in the first building.

I jumped out of the truck, slung my bag over my shoulder and started walking towards History. I could feel the stares of the other students as I passed them. I kept my eyes down rather than looking at all people staring at me. I found the class fairly easily and when I arrived it was already half full. I walked over nervously to the teacher and handed him the slip he had to sign and then he showed me to my seat. No fuss, no introductions, no "tell the class something about yourself." I couldn't put into words how thankful I was for that.

The bell rung after the hour was up but it seemed much longer to me. I was sat near the front of the class beside the window; the perfect place to hear all the people whispering about me behind me. As I started to pack away my notebook a girl came over to me. "So, Isabella, right? Hi, I'm Jessica." She held out her hand for me to shake. Deciding that it was probably best not to rebuke everyone who tried to talk to me – I was trying to start fresh after all – I shook her hand. "Just Bella."

"What have you got next?"

"English."

"Me too, I'll show you the way there." I smiled my thanks. She seemed nice enough but one of those people who always had to fill a silence with noise. "So you're from Arizona? I thought you'd be really tanned. I bet its sunny all the time there, don't know why you'd want to swap all that sun for here." I looked at the ground at her last remark. She didn't seem to need to breathe between sentences like normal people. Luckily she didn't wait for my answers to her questions and comments. She just carried on nattering until we reached the class.

When we walked in she went straight to her seat and I stood beside the teacher's desk waiting for her to notice me. I took the chance to glance around the class. Of course they were all staring at me or whispering to their neighbours, but once set of eyes stood out in particular.

He sat at the back of the classroom but I could still see the complete black of his eyes boring into me as if they could see straight into my soul. His face was breathtakingly beautiful but that's not what had me captivated by him. His eyes burned with such ferocious anger but I couldn't pull my eyes away from his gaze. His eyes didn't leave mine either. I stood there transfixed.

"Ah, you must be Isabella." I jumped as the teacher said my name and I turned to her to hand her the slip, finally breaking the connection with the beautiful, hate-filled stranger.

"Just Bella," I replied. I glanced around the class again careful to avoid those black eyes that had held me so. No one seemed to have noticed the exchange between myself and the stranger. Apparently, what had felt like an eternity to me had only lasted a moment.

"You'll be sitting here." The teacher directed me to a seat in the front row. He was sitting a few seats directly behind me. I tried to focus on the reading list rather than the fiery heat from his eyes on my back. I didn't dare turn to look at him again for fear that I wouldn't be able to take my eyes off him ever again. Those eyes. They held such a black rage but I knew if I looked into them again id be captivated by them all over again.


End file.
